For a brief mont, nothing happened.
Then—
A chilling sensation crawled up my arms as a pale, almost liquid-like energy oozed from my fingertips. It didn’t drip. It didn’t spill. It just existed, a strange, eerie glow clinging to my skin.
It felt… wrong.
Like sothing wasn’t supposed to be here.
I shivered but clenched my fists. Focus. No ti for hesitation.
Ahead, I saw the first spider—just as ugly as before. Its body was hunched, its legs twitching erratically. Mindless. Weak.
Perfect.
I lunged.
The first one died too easily.
I barely touched it before the liquid coating my fingers sank into its body, spreading like rot through the veins of a leaf. The thing convulsed, its body shrivelling from the inside out, and in the next instant—
It was gone.
Nothing remained. Not even a corpse.
I staggered, a strange warmth flooding my chest. The sensation wasn’t painful, but it was… off. My limbs felt lighter. My head was clearer.
It worked.
I grinned. "Alright, let’s keep going."
Two more. Five more. Ten.
They rushed at , fangs gnashing, bodies twitching. So were fast, others sluggish, but none of them lasted long. As soon as I touched them, Gluttony did the rest.
But with every kill, my body ached more.
The first burn hit my forearm.
I gasped, stumbling back as a searing pain burst across my skin. A sharp hiss filled the air, and I looked down to see my arm smoking—the remnants of so acidic saliva eating through my sleeve.
Shit!
I barely dodged the next attack. Another spider, this one quicker, had spat sothing my way.
The green liquid sizzled against the ground where I had just been standing, leaving deep scorch marks in the dirt.
I clenched my jaw.
They’re getting smarter.
Another ca at from the side. I ducked, rolling away just as a barbed leg slamd into the ground where my head had been.
Dirt flew everywhere. I barely had ti to process before another one lunged.
I threw my hand out in instinct—Gluttony flared—
And then the spider was gone.
The sudden absorption dizzying , and I stumbled.
Pain flared in my side as another one caught off guard. Its sharp fangs tore into my waist before I managed to slam my elbow into its face, knocking it away.
I staggered, panting.
Shit, shit, shit!
There were too many.
My breath ca in ragged gasps. My body felt heavier now, the weight of each absorbed soul pressing against my chest. My veins burned with energy that I didn’t quite understand.
But it wasn’t enough.
The spiders weren’t just attacking randomly anymore.
They were coordinating.
I took down another two, but the rest started circling. So stayed just out of reach, waiting, watching. Others pressed in from the sides, keeping from escaping.
They’re learning how I fight.
Then—
Six of them jumped at once.
I had no ti to react.
One sank its fangs into my shoulder. Another tore into my leg. A third wrapped its spindly legs around my arm, pinning it.
Shit—!
I tried to move, to fight back, but—
I couldn’t.
More weight piled on. My body scread in pain, my vision blurring from the acid still eating into my skin.
And then—
I heard it.
A slow, deliberate clicking sound.
Not from these weaklings.
No.
From behind .
The Scaled Spider.
Waiting.
Watching.
I barely turned my head.
Eight gleaming red eyes stared back at , unblinking.
I froze.
That was when I realized—
I was fucked.
I was so going to die.
The spiders pressed down on , their hairy, black legs digging into my flesh, fangs snapping inches from my face.
The Scaled Spider’s red eyes glead through the suffocating darkness, unblinking, patient.
It had waited for this. It knew.
Cold sweat rolled down my back as panic surged through my chest.
My breath ca in sharp, ragged gasps and my body burned from the countless wounds and acid still sizzling against my skin.
I was trapped. Outnumbered. Cornered.
I clenched my fists. No, not yet. Not like this.
I refused to die here.
That was when my fingers brushed against sothing inside the space ring.
Sothing small. Hard. Familiar.
A Mana Bomb.
My heart jumped.
There was still one left?
My hands trembled as I grasped the cold, smooth orb, barely the size of my palm. Our last resort.
The sa thing I had used before–
I sucked in a breath, mind racing. The mont the bomb left the ring, it would start ticking.
No ti to hesitate.
No ti to think.
I yanked it out and threw it.
A sharp hum filled the air as the bomb detonated instantly.
The world erupted in a flash of blinding blue light.
I barely registered the force slamming into before I was swallowed whole by the explosion.
For a fraction of a second—everything was silent.
Then—
A deafening roar.
The shockwave tore through the air, sending spiders screeching, their bodies must have burnt in an instant. The heat started to burn my skin as well, but I had already braced myself.
My last ace.
"Gluttony."
The mont the explosion hit , I activated it.
That sa eerie, pale blue liquid burst across my skin, spreading over like a second layer. A cold sensation crawled up my arms, down my back, coating every inch of my wounds, sinking into my flesh.
For a mont, my world was a blur.
Smoke and Blood
When the dust settled, I staggered, barely standing.
Everything reeked.
The thick stench of burnt flesh clung to the air, mixed with the nauseating sll of black blood sizzling against the soil.
Eww.
I nearly gagged, my stomach twisting violently, but I swallowed down the vomit and forced myself to stay upright.
I was still alive.
But I wasn’t alone.
Through the fog of the blast, the glow of eight red eyes pierced through the smoke.
My stomach dropped.
That thing is still alive?!
The Scaled Spider.
Ughh
Its massive form lood just beyond the wreckage, motionless, but very much intact. The explosion had stunned it, the blast burning its exoskeleton, but I could see it breathing.
And the mont it recovered—
It would co for .
I didn’t wait.
Ignoring the pain tearing through my limbs, I turned and ran.
The ground beneath was uneven, littered with charred corpses of the lesser spiders, their remains still smoldering.
My legs scread in protest, but I pushed forward, weaving between broken roots and fallen trees.
Behind , I could hear the Scaled Spider stir.
A slow, deliberate click.
Then another.
And another.
It was moving.
But not fast. Not yet.
The blast had weakened it.
I gritted my teeth and forced my legs to move faster. The pain in my side flared, my wounds bleeding freely, but I didn’t stop.
I had one goal.
Get to the hideout.
The Hollow Refuge
By the ti I reached the small hollow beneath the tree roots, I was already on the verge of collapse.
I threw myself forward, nearly crashing into the cramped space, my hands scraping against rough bark as I shoved myself inside.
The mont my body hit the ground, I rolled onto my back, panting, drenched in sweat and blood.
I had made it.
I was safe.
The only saving grace?
The Scaled Spider was too big to fit inside.
I stared at the entrance, body trembling.
The massive black shadow lood outside, its long, spindly legs clicking against the earth.
It had followed .
Of course it had.
But as I had hoped—
It couldn’t reach .
Its hulking form blocked the light, its red eyes gleaming with rage.
Letting out a deep, hollow screech, it slamd one of its massive legs against the entrance, but the tree roots held firm. The spider tried again—another sharp impact shook the ground—but it was useless.
The space was too small.
And just like that—
We were at a stalemate.
I let out a ragged breath, my entire body screaming in exhaustion. Every muscle ached. My hands shook.
My head felt light, like I was seconds away from passing out.
I had barely survived.
And now, I was trapped.
I turned my head slightly, glancing at Ma’s unconscious figure a few feet away.
She was still asleep. Still breathing. Still safe.
That was all that mattered.
I shut my eyes for a second, forcing my breathing to slow.
The Scaled Spider was still there. I could hear it pacing, the clicking of its legs thodical, calculating.
It wasn’t leaving.
It was waiting.
Smart bastard.
I exhaled.
This wasn’t over. Not even close.
I had escaped death once.
But if I didn’t figure sothing out soon…
It would be waiting for .
And next ti?
There would be no escape.
***
A/N:
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